A top performance; a moment of too rare harmony in a season which has so frequently seen batting, bowling, fielding and (ahem) umpiring units undoing each others excellent work. 

On a pitch prepared in line with some long forgotten and much denied ECB directive to ‘keep plenty of grass on it’batting first was always going to be a bit of a gamble.  A gamble which at 3 for 2 and then 47 for 3 at the mid-way point seemed a long way from paying off.

However, the skipper (well overdue a meaningful contribution) and Steve S dug deep, ran hard and put on 80 odd for the fourth wicket leaving just enough overs for Cunners and Steve M to wield their bats, clear the ropes and push us up to 187.  For the record ‘extras’ made a useful contribution of 25. 

The chat at tea was that if we bowled as tight as Messrs Struthers (who on his birthday offered no gifts in a miserly bowling spell), Pitt and Mills we’d be in with a shout.

And bowl and field tight we did.  Rob, in his spell of the season, and Cunners set the tone conceding only 20 runs in the first 12 overs.  Steve S and Tom found their grooves (and the wickets) as did Ed (a revelation coming right-arm round) and Anthony.  And Jim came on, much to Anthony’s chagrin, to nick the final wicket. 

So complete was this all-round performance that Anthony even managed to force a smile from John the groundsman.